Cajanus cajan Seeds | Pigeon Pea
LATIN NAME: Cajanus cajan
COMMON NAME: Pigeon Pea
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) stands out as a perennial in the pea family. Pigeon pea is hardy pulse of warm field, and small, yellow and red flowers hide among fine leaves. Upright, woody-based, short-lived perennial shrub carries pinnate leaves of three narrow leaflets and small, yellow and red, pea-like flowers in axillary racemes through warm season, to be followed by narrow, beaked pods of small, round seeds. It is a plant of open, sunny, well-drained ground. It is hard to name another plant that gives this much for this little trouble.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the pea family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Contemporary seed practice means a grower can raise it confidently with standard techniques.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Pigeon Pea has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Pigeon pea is a fine, historic plant of warm field and vegetable plot. Small, round seeds have a long record as staple pulse of warm lands, cooked into dals and stews of warm kitchens, and young pods come to table as fresh green peas. It has been written up in agricultural and culinary papers for round seeds and hardy ways, and it is a fine, historic plant of open, sunny, well-drained garden. Given the right start, it carries on with minimal intervention.
Pigeon pea is a protein staple of the tropics, and its leaves and roots have folk records for coughs and jaundice; the seed’s resistant starch makes it a low-glycemic food.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Pigeon Pea, and the process is uncomplicated. Level a tray of loose seed compost, sow evenly, cover to about the seed’s own depth, and keep it moist in full light. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Pigeon Pea earns its space through character rather than fuss. As a perennial, it settles into a routine quickly once established. Young plants want steady water; older plants take conditions as they come.
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